Metamorphose
by secretsecrettunnel
Summary: Everyone goes through puberty - even the Avatar. Snapshots of Aang's treacherous journey through adolescence. Summer Kataang Week 2013
1. Chapter 1

**Metamorphose  
Chapter 1: Hands (Age 13)**

"Aang!"

"I missed you sweetie," Aang murmured into her hair, his arms wrapping around Katara's waist as she threw herself into his embrace.

"Urgh, gross," Sokka muttered as he marched past the younger teenagers. "Cut it out you guys - it's been like two weeks."

"Shut up," Katara threw over her shoulder at her brother. She turned her attention back to the Avatar, a large smile blooming over her face. "Hi."

"Hey."

A silly grin split Aang's face as they looked at each other, a bubble of laughter escaping Katara's throat. Her hand fisted in his robes, fingers of the other beating against the bare side of his chest. They were standing so close their breaths mingled together, tickling their lips.

"Hey," Katara whispered as her hands slid up and cupped the base of his head. She pulled him forward and pressed her lips against his, sighing softly as they melted into the embrace. Her tongue brushed against Aang's lips for a brief moment before she pulled back and smiled sweetly at him. "I missed you too."

"I'm sorry we took as long as we did," Aang answered, lacing their fingers as they made their way towards the tea shop. "I wish you could have come with us."

"I wouldn't have been much help," Katara replied, squeezing his hand. She twirled the fingers of her free hand carefully to extract a globe of water from the air. "This wouldn't have worked quite as well in the desert." The water was tossed to the side with a quiet splash.

"I suppose not," Aang conceded with a small shrug. They strolled along for a few moments before Aang stopped, turning to look at her with his bottom lip trapped between his teeth for a few seconds. His stare was heavy. "I really did miss you though."

"But we're together now, sweetie. That's all that matters." She smiled at him, her heart full to bursting with emotion that she wasn't sure she could hold on to. As quickly as she could, Katara entwined the fingers of their other hands and squeezed at Aang's grasp again.

She glanced down and watched as Aang's thumbs rubbed over her knuckles gently, the calloused tips of his fingers scratching against her skin. Her brows drew down into a frown as she watched Aang's actions.

"Are you alright?" Aang's voice broke through her concentration. Katara glanced up to his concerned gaze. "You just went all... frowny all of a sudden."

"Have your hands always been this big?"

A bark of laughter escaped Aang's lips before he brought their joined hands up to his lips, pressing a rough kiss against the back of each of her hands. Examining their hands, the contrast of her dark skin against his arching blue arrows and pale complexion always a pleasant sight, he was surprised to notice that his hands enveloped her own entirely. Gently, he loosened the grip of one of her hands and spread his own into its full span, even more surprised when Katara's mirrored hand pressed against his own palm looked so tiny. Most of her fingers barely came up to his second knuckles.

"I guess?" Aang asked in reply as he relaced their fingers. "Maybe not? I suppose I've never noticed."

"The Warriors in my village used to say that you could tell how big a polardog pup would grow by looking at the size of its paws," Katara resumed their leisurely pace towards the tea shop, tapping her chin thoughtfully as she pulled Aang along with her. "And I do think it's true – you could always get quite close to the puppies and their paws were always very big. Getting closer to a full grown polardog was not something you'd want to do, but even from far away they were huge."

"Thanks for the animal biology lesson, sweetie," Aang quipped, shrugging his shoulder away from a light hearted swat of her hand.

"I'm just saying," Katara grumbled. A small smile pulled at the corner of her lips. "Maybe the same is true about teenage boys and Avatars."

Aang's hand slipped from her own and she walked a few steps before turning to him with a brow raised quizzically. He was turning his hands over slowly, flexing all of his fingers into a fist before splaying them out.

"Are you alright sweetie?" Katara smiled at him, bemused at his actions. Aang blinked a few times before looking up with a huge smile on his face.

"Yeah," Aang answered quietly, grinning at her before he had conjured a current of air, sweeping past her with a loud cry of excitement. She shook her head, her laugh breaking free as his voice floated on the breeze. "I'm gonna be so tall!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Metamorphose  
Chapter 2: Sleepy (Age 14)**

Katara sighed again as she checked the mechanical clock for what felt like the fiftieth time. More and more often she felt as though she was waiting for Aang when they had places to go and it confused her.

For the two years she had known the Avatar he had, until recently, been an early riser. Aang would be up with the sun, meditation and prayers finished by the time she would wake for her bath. However, recently she would wander into his bedroom, hair wet from her soak, and find him spread eagled on his back and snoring loudly.

Currently, she was waiting for him in a lounge in the East wing of the Palace in the Fire Nation Capital. Katara had heard Aang moving about in his room a few minutes ago; however they were still running nearly an hour late for meetings with various officials. They would probably have to skip lunch to make up time and manage to meet everyone they had to.

"Aang, sweetie, come on! We have to go!" Katara called through the thick wood, hoisting herself from the sofa to pace the ornate rug. She heard a muffled call through the door and some shuffling as Aang finally began to get ready for the day.

Katara was sure she had waited another fifteen minutes by the time Aang's door cracked open and he emerged from his room. Her gaze darted to him and she frowned at the wide yawn splitting his face. "Aang, are you alright?"

"Mmm," Aang mumbled as he rubbed at one of his eyes roughly, his other hand pulling at the sash around his waist. "Just SLEEPy."

They both stopped suddenly, Katara's eyes growing wide as colour flooded Aang's cheeks. He cleared his throat nervously.

"What was that?" Katara asked as a small smile spread across her lips.

"Nothing, it was noTHING," His face was beetroot as his voice jumped again, cracking on the last syllable.

"You sound like Sokka when he's over excited." Her bottom lip became caught between her teeth as she tried to suppress her mirth. Aang cleared his throat again, a gruff sound.

"It was nothing," His voice was comically low as he tried to fight anymore jumps.

"Oh, sweetie, you don't have to be so embarrassed," Katara couldn't stop the giggles as she swept across the room and pulled him into her embrace.

"How am I doing to do all those MEETings sounding like THIS?" Aang flinched with each break of his voice. "This is some sort of cosmic joke."

"Come on, we don't have any more time to waste," Katara cajoled, pulling him out the door with a smile still crinkling at the corners of her eyes. "Don't worry about it; remember how bad Sokka sounded when his voice broke? Yours is already much lower than his was at that time."

"Great," Aang mumbled, scowling and pouting in the most ridiculously un-Avatarish way. "Just what I NEED. To sound like SokKA."


	3. Chapter 3

**Metamorphose  
Chapter 3: Dance (Age 15)**

"I love this song," Katara murmured softly, eyes bright in the waning sun. She had probably had a little too much to drink and would not have argued with anyone if they had suggested that possibility to her.

"You love every song," Aang replied cheerfully, his hand squeezing hers.

"No, no, Aang, I love this song. I just like all the rest," Katara leaned into his side, his solid form the only thing keeping her from tumbling right off of the chair she was perched on. She smiled dreamily at him, her eyelids at half mast. "I always thought Zuko had awful taste in... well everything. But his choice of music for today is great."

"And his choice of wine too, apparently," Aang joked quietly, looping an arm around her waist for support and rolling his eyes in exasperation. "How come you're always the one who gets to be drunk at these events and I'm the one carrying you home, hmm?"

"I'm not drunk, sweetie," Katara chirped happily as she pressed her face into the warm crook of his neck. "I'm pleasantly tipsy. But to answer your questions - you're too young to drink."

"And? I'm the Avatar. I can do what I want."

"Mmm, you're a gentleman," Katara continued, giggling. "That's why you carry me."

Aang hummed an acknowledgement. They sat quietly for a while, her soft exhales tickling his skin as he gently drew patterns on sash of her dress. The music was soft, only just eclipsing the chatter of other party guests. Aang could see Sokka talking animatedly with Zuko, Toph standing next to them looking furious about the dress she had been forced into. He was musing about how pleasing the change of pace had been when Katara jolted at his side.

"Oh, I _love_ this song," Katara turned, her gaze pleading. "Aang, will you dance with me? Please?"

"Are you sure you don't just like it?" Aang rose a single eyebrow at her as he stood, holding a hand out to her and pulling her to stand. The silks of her dress swayed around her calves as she walked past Aang, her slippered foot stomping on his own petulantly.

She was silent as she led them to the temporary dance floor, a large awning covering it to protect guests from the still bright sun. Katara smiled at him over her shoulder as they stepped onto the wooden planks before twisting to walk backwards through the already moving couples. Aang laughed as he pulled her back towards his body, raising an arm and spinning her underneath it to avoid a collision with a General and his wife.

They easily slotted together, so used to dancing with each other at parties and events that it was a second nature. One of his large hands wound around her waist, clutching at the curve of it to hold her close. The other wound long fingers with Katara's own softer ones and was positioned at shoulder height.

Katara sighed happily as she leaned into his warm form, her free hand sliding up his chest and around his neck before resting back on his shoulder. They danced in silence, Aang leading them around the floor easily, his natural grace making him stand out amongst the crowd of overly masculine and gruff officials. The music slowed and Aang directed them to a standstill amongst the small crowd. They swayed gently; Katara's head was resting against the shoulder she wasn't clutching.

"You remember the first time we did this? Do you, sweetie?" Katara asked quietly, her words barely making it to his ears. He looked down, smiling at her as their gazes met. Her head was tipped back as she sighed happily. "It was a lot different."

"Mmm," Aang agreed in a low tone, his memory bringing images of a small cave and shadows dancing by the light of torches to the front of his mind's eye.

"I don't think I was the one looking up anyway."

"You're always so mean to me," Aang murmured with a pout.

"Don't be such a baby," Katara crooned, shaking their joined hands free. She twined her arms around his neck, rising to stand on the tips of her toes to press a kiss to his lips. "You're so tall now. Too tall."

"Maybe you've shrunk?" Aang asked as he kissed her again, their lips brushing softly with his words. "Besides, you were the one who told me I'd be tall. Remember?"

"Mmm," She buried her head back into the crook of his neck and sighed. "Just reminds me you're growing up."


	4. Chapter 4

**Metamorphose  
Chapter 4: Smirk (Age 16)**

Aang sighed happily as he burrowed down into the soft mattress. While he was happy to concede that he probably should be getting up to start the day, he was also happy to doze for a few more minutes so that he could feel the heat of Katara's body against his own.

She was just so soft. Her skin begged to be touched. She always smelled like the sweetest of fruits and flowers and she was everything to him. He wanted to be with her forever. He wanted them to get married, to have children, to have everything. Aang loved Katara more than anything.

She was all he ever thought about, whether it was while he was sitting with her eating dinner or taking careful notes in a council meeting where she wasn't in attendance. In fact, he was worried that he thought about her too much and not always in the most... innocent of ways.

But he was a young man. A young, hormonal, man and if he day dreamed about kissing his girlfriend then that was fine. If he fantasised about what she looked like completely naked, that was fine too. What wasn't fine was _when_ these thoughts manifested themselves and the... physical reactions that they caused.

As it was he was already in a precarious situation. Though he was still very tired and his mind sluggish, his body was very much awake. Certain parts of his body were definitely more awake than others and currently the most awake part of his body was poking against the soft curve of Katara's behind.

They had been sharing a bed for a while - much longer than either of them would be willing to admit to Warrior Chief Fathers or Overbearing Big Brothers. It had started out as an occasional thing with flimsy excuses – it was much quicker to just pitch one tent, the Temple was cold so they were sharing body heat – but with their engagement solidified nearly two months ago there was no need to hide the fact now.

He loved being able to bed down with her at night, pulling her against him and twining their limbs together. The feel of her skin next to his was so soothing with only a few layers of bindings and undergarments separating them from total nakedness. Aang was happy to admit that her gentle smile being the first thing he saw in the morning wasn't the worst way to start the day.

With a silent sigh, the puff of air against her hair the only sign that it had happened, Aang nuzzled into the bare skin of her upper back. He tightened the arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest for a final embrace before he had to get up.

"Mmm, what are you rubbing on me?"

Aang froze, a flush rising up his face. Katara's sleepy voice floated from beneath their piles of blankets, a soft moan issuing from her throat before she shifted. "Uh... well..." His hips flexed of their own accord as all of his attention rushed south of his waist.

"No," Katara giggled softly, rolling over in his embrace to lie on her back and inadvertently rubbing against Aang's already sensitive appendage. She smirked as he groaned, her hand coming up to cup his face. Rubbing her palm along his jaw she laughed again. "I meant this."

Still red in the face, Aang lifted his own hand to feel the other side of his face. He frowned. "I need to shave."

"You need to shave," Katara agreed as she rolled over again, finally facing him in the early morning light. She tilted his face with her palm and kissed him softly. "Trust me though Aang, I definitely knew what else was touching me."


End file.
